By refusing to stem the tide of transgender insanity, Noem has mutilated her political career as surely as the transgendered mutilate themselves. She might as well identify as Jeb Bush and adopt the pronouns sellout/hasbeen.South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem initially appeared eager to deliver a win to social conservatives on a top, culture war issue.
Just minutes after the GOP-led state legislature passed a bill banning transgender women and girls participating in women’s sports leagues, the Republican governor fired off a tweet declaring herself “excited to sign” the bill.
Noem’s enthusiasm faded surprisingly fast. Within days, the governor, who is widely viewed as eyeing a run for higher office, found herself caught in a political mess, facing tough lobbying from business interests, legal threats and talk of betrayal from social conservatives who had been reassured she was on their side.
The governor shied away from the bill when her office showed signs of turmoil — a key member of her staff who oversaw both policy and communications announced she was leaving. Ultimately, Noem crafted an escape plan that left plenty angry and tarnished her hard-charging reputation: a partial veto.
Noem’s missteps have landed her at the center of a rift within the GOP. Its leaders find themselves caught between trying to please both business groups and hard-line social conservatives. Even Noem, who has built a reputation of not backing down from fights, has struggled to articulate a clear position on the ban.
“She was considered a shining star in the GOP with a bright future. No more,” Michael Farris, the head of an advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom, that backed the bill, wrote on Facebook after Noem announced her partial veto. [AP]
The issue in question is South Dakota’s House Bill 1217. The bill would require that women’s sports teams at the high school and collegiate level only be open to biological women. No longer would schools be allowed to indulge mentally troubled individuals who harbor a strange desire to compete in sports against the opposite sex. To add teeth to the bill, it would also allow private actors to sue for damages when schools ignore or defy the law. Individuals could also sue if retaliated against for reporting violations of the law.
